Susan Abayomi
Nigeria’s data consumption rose to about 1.66 million terabytes in July 2026, representing an increase of nearly 47 per cent compared with the 1.13 million terabytes recorded in July 2025.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, disclosed the figures on Tuesday at the inaugural Nigeria Digital Connectivity Investment Forum in Abuja.
Maida said the sharp increase in data usage reflected Nigerians’ growing dependence on digital connectivity for business, education, financial transactions, communication and access to essential services.
He stressed that sustaining the growth would require continued investment in telecommunications infrastructure, both to expand network capacity and improve the quality of services available to existing users.
“Keeping pace will require sustained investment, both to expand networks and to improve the experience of people already connected,” Maida said.
The two-day forum, organised by the NCC in partnership with Swedfund and Ookla, brought together investors, telecommunications operators, infrastructure providers, development finance institutions, government representatives and technology stakeholders.
According to Maida, the growing adoption of cloud services and artificial intelligence would further increase demand for reliable and resilient digital infrastructure.
He said the investment challenge was not limited to extending network coverage, but also included upgrading existing infrastructure and ensuring that networks could support emerging technologies and rising traffic.
The NCC boss highlighted several measures aimed at improving the investment environment in the telecommunications sector, including the 2025 tariff adjustment, which he said had helped address financial pressures facing operators and restore their capacity to invest.
He also cited the designation of telecommunications infrastructure as Critical National Information Infrastructure, saying the measure strengthened protection for critical telecom assets against vandalism and sabotage.
Maida further noted the Commission’s continued engagement with state governments on Right of Way issues, which he said was aimed at reducing deployment costs and removing obstacles to the expansion of fibre and other telecommunications infrastructure.
He said investors required clarity and confidence in the regulatory environment, while acknowledging that practical challenges affecting infrastructure deployment still needed to be addressed.
The NCC is also placing greater emphasis on data-driven regulation. Maida said the Commission’s collaboration with Swedfund and Ookla was providing independent information on the connectivity experience of Nigerians.
He added that the NCC was combining network performance information with consumer complaints and reports on operators’ interventions to identify service gaps and areas that could require additional investment.
Maida also highlighted the Commission’s Consumer Data Lab, funded by the Gates Foundation and developed in collaboration with Innovations for Poverty Action.
The platform integrates connectivity data, consumer complaints and information on operators’ interventions to help the NCC examine service challenges by location and demographic group, assess the effectiveness of interventions and identify areas requiring further network deployment or upgrades.
The NCC chief executive urged investors and other stakeholders participating in the forum to identify viable projects, discuss barriers to implementation and develop partnerships capable of accelerating digital infrastructure development.
He said the ultimate objective was to ensure that investment in connectivity translated into improved opportunities for Nigerians to work, learn, conduct business and access essential services.
The forum is being held as Nigeria marks 25 years of GSM services, with the NCC using the milestone to highlight the role of investment, regulation and private-sector participation in the development of the country’s telecommunications industry.
